US Treasury Imposes New Sanctions on Cuba's Tourism Ministry and State-Owned Entities

Jul 13, 2026

On July 13, 2026, the United States expanded sanctions against Cuba, targeting its Ministry of Tourism, state-owned companies, and security forces to restrict government revenue and address repression. The measures block US-based assets and ban transactions, exacerbating Cuba's severe economic and energy crisis. Tourism revenues are projected to drop by over 60% in 2026 following the withdrawal of major international hotel chains like Meliá and Iberostar due to US pressure.

US sanctions Cuban tourism ministry

▪The United States sanctions on July 13, 2026, targeted state-owned companies GEMAR, GECOMEX, CAUDAL, ANTEX, Coreydan S.A., and Enetec S.A.
▪The sanctions block all United States-based property of the designated Cuban entities and prohibit individuals and companies subject to United States jurisdiction from conducting transactions with them
▪The United States Treasury Department gave companies and financial institutions until August 12, 2026, to wind down existing contracts with the sanctioned state-owned companies
▪On July 13, 2026, the United States Department of the Treasury sanctioned Cuba's Ministry of Tourism and other state-owned entities

Cuban government repression apparatus

▪The United States State Department stated the sanctions were imposed under a May 2026 executive order targeting entities linked to repression or strategic economic sectors
▪The United States sanctioned the Rapid Response Brigades, the Territorial Troops Militia, and the Association of Combatants of the Cuban Revolution, identifying them as tools of repression

Tourism industry revenue decline

▪Ricardo Torres estimated that the reduction in international hotel operators could cause Cuba's tourism revenue to decline by more than 60% in 2026
▪Ricardo Torres of American University estimated that tourism accounted for about 14% of Cuba's exports and nearly 8% of its gross domestic product in 2024 and 2025
▪Cuba's National Office of Statistics and Information reported 328,608 international visitors between January and April 2026, a 55.8% decline from the same period in 2025

International hotel chain withdrawals

▪International hotel chains Meliá, Iberostar, Blue Diamond, and Archipelago International withdrew or began withdrawing brands from hotels operated with GAESA-controlled companies
▪The hotel departures followed a United States ultimatum to foreign companies managing assets associated with the Cuban military conglomerate GAESA

Cuba's energy crisis

▪The United States oil blockade on Havana, imposed after the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in January 2026, has severely restricted Cuba's fuel supply
▪Cuba experienced widespread electricity blackouts, including a nationwide outage on July 10, 2026, that affected more than 10 million people

Cuban economic crisis

▪Cuba continues to experience daily protests over power outages and a deep economic and energy crisis five years after the July 11, 2021, uprising
▪Cuba's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, stated that United States embargoes between March 2025 and February 2026 caused $8 billion in damage